After Twilight

by Amanda Ashley

  “That’s all right,” she finally said. She seemed to mentally shake herself. “I really do need to be going. Thank you for your help today.” Turning toward the door, she added, “I’ll pick you up around noon tomorrow. We can have lunch at the cafe again and talk to the sheriff afterward.”

  “That will be fine,” he said curtly.

  “Good night then.”

  If she didn’t get the hell away from him, he would lose what little control he maintained. “Good night.”

  He thought she might say something else, but he nudged her from the bathroom. His hand shook on the knob, and he quickly locked the door. Not locking her out, but locking himself in. Of course, the problem with that was that the lock should be on the other side. Rick hurried to the shower and turned on the water. He stripped down and climbed beneath the chilly spray.

  Chapter Eight

  Stephanie hurried through the woods. Her behavior with Rick embarrassed her. That feeling had come over her again. An irresistible urge to make love with him. He must have sensed her desire, because he’d hurried her out of the bathroom and locked the door. He’d rejected her.

  He’d shut her out, made it clear he didn’t want her. Humiliation had washed over her, and all she could think of was escape. She’d grabbed her clothes from the dryer, hurried into them, and run from the cabin—run from her own shame.

  She didn’t understand the things she felt for him. Stephanie wasn’t completely innocent. She’d had a lover before. A boy she’d known in college. One she’d planned to marry until the accident happened. Afterward, he’d stopped calling, stopped coming to see her because she couldn’t leave her father, couldn’t even leave the house most of the time.

  So much for true love. True love was when one person stood beside another no matter the circumstances. Through sickness and in health, for better or for worse. True love was what her parents had had, what she wanted. Certainly not a wild physical attraction to a man who seemed strange in some way she couldn’t put her finger on.

  But there were things she liked about Rick besides his face and body. He’d shown tenderness and compassion to the injured wolf that afternoon. She knew he could be gentle, caring, and certainly brave. He could even be funny. So what if he seemed to be a tortured soul at times?

  His brother’s death had surely affected him as much as the loss of her parents had affected her. He was lonely—he’d admitted that to her today. She was lonely, too. It only made sense they would be drawn to one another. What suddenly didn’t make sense was the fact that as Stephanie hurried along in the dark woods, she realized she could see quite well.

  She stopped and looked around. The shapes of trees, bushes, and even the rocks strewn along her path were easily distinguishable. Glancing up, she noted that the moon wasn’t particularly bright.

  “This is odd,” she whispered, unsettled by her strange ability. She quickly tried to come up with a logical reason. She’d been camping for some time now; perhaps she had simply become used to the dark.

  What other reason would there be for suddenly developing wonderful night vision? Maybe she’d always been able to see this well in the dark, she reasoned. She probably hadn’t noticed before because she was usually so wrapped up in her work.

  She lifted her face to the wind and caught a scent. One she immediately identified with the old woman. A chill raced up her spine. Somehow she knew the woman wasn’t gone. She was somewhere nearby… waiting.

  • • •

  The next day, Rick stared at Stephanie across the cafe table. Although she grew more beautiful to him every day, she had dark circles beneath her eyes and she’d been quiet during the trip to town. She’d ordered a salad with about as much enthusiasm as she would have ordered a plate of worms.

  “What’s the matter with you?” he finally asked.

  She glanced up from fiddling with her car keys. “I didn’t say anything was wrong.”

  “You didn’t have to.” He studied her face. “Have you been sleeping all right?”

  Her lashes drifted downward, merging with the dark circles beneath her eyes. “I can’t seem to settle down and get comfortable,” she admitted. “And the noise…”

  “The noise?” he repeated with a laugh. “What noise?”

  Running a hand through her long hair, she said, “Owls hooting, branches snapping, leaves rustling. I never realized the great outdoors was so noisy.”

  “Most people wouldn’t notice,” he said, then frowned. His own hearing had become sharper after the incident that had forever changed him. It had taken him a while to notice, but he’d lived in the city then.

  The sirens blaring on the expressway in the distance had always sounded annoyingly loud when he’d been trying to sleep. But later, they had sounded as if they were right outside the house.

  “Maybe you should stay with me,” he suggested, thinking he should keep a closer eye on her. She was starting to worry him.

  She lifted a brow. “Stay with you?”

  “You could have the bedroom, and I’d sleep on the couch,” he assured her, but considering what had already gone on between them, he had as much trouble believing that as she probably did.

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea. You don’t have locks on all the doors to keep me out.”

  Her last comment startled him. Was that what she’d thought? That he’d been locking her out rather than locking himself in? “I was trying to be a gentleman,” he said.

  “You succeeded.” She sighed. “I’m sorry I made that crack about locked doors. I’m tired and I got up on the wrong side of the ground this morning.”

  “I offered you my bed,” he reminded. She looked exhausted and embarrassed. “Feather down mattress, hot showers, coffee in the morning.”

  “Don’t tempt me.” She laughed, but her gaze drifted over him in lazy inspection before she seemed to realize her actions. “I’m perfectly fine where I am. I’m not on vacation, I’m on assignment.” She glanced around the small cafe. “I don’t see the sheriff here today. I guess we’ll have to go to his office once we finish.”

  Rick nodded, then dug into his meal. He hated cooking for one and, as a result, seldom ate a hot meal. He couldn’t tolerate meat if it was cooked too long, either. He liked it almost raw, nice and juicy. The french fries that came with his burger weren’t that appealing to him, but he didn’t suppose he could order a whole plate of raw hamburger meat.

  “Do you think the sheriff can do anything about the sheep farmers setting traps?”

  “I doubt if he can legally do much about it, or that he’d want to,” he answered. “We’ll bring up the matter of your safety, but you were trespassing on private property yesterday, so it won’t do much good.”

  She reached across the table and snatched a fry from his plate. “I have to trespass if they want me to capture footage of the wolves attacking their livestock. I assumed being allowed on their property was part of the deal.”

  “That’s the argument we’ll present.” Rick grabbed for napkins from the container, found it empty, and glanced around. “I’ll be right back.”

  The container at the next booth was also empty. He looked for Betty but didn’t see her anywhere. Spotting a full container on another nearby table, he bent and tried to wrest a handful of napkins from the overstuffed receptacle. He felt a little embarrassed that he couldn’t get the wadded napkins out and glanced over his shoulder at Stephanie.

  She didn’t look amused by his struggle, but was staring thoughtfully at what could only be his ass, given her eye level. The hair on the back on his neck prickled. He wasn’t offended, by any means. If she’d been bent over in front of him, he’d be assessing her, too. What caused his reaction was the fact that while she stared, she greedily munched away on his hamburger.

  He turned toward her. “Stephanie?”

  Her gaze shot up. “I—I didn’t mean to stare—”

  “I thought you were a vegetarian,” he interrupted. She blinked up at him. “I am,
” she responded, her mouth full.

  “Then why are you eating my burger?”

  • • •

  Stephanie’s gaze lowered. A piece of red meat stared back at her from a sesame seed bun. Unconcerned with manners, she spit the contents in her mouth out onto her salad plate. The taste of blood lingered on her tongue. Sweet, delicious. The thought sickened her.

  She clamped a hand over her mouth and jumped up from the table. The restroom might be occupied. She couldn’t take that chance. Racing outside, she stumbled into the alley and lost the contents of her stomach. A pair of strong hands settled upon her shoulders.

  “Stephanie?” Rick asked. “Are you all right?”

  No, she was not all right. Something was terribly wrong with her. Wiping the sleeve of her shirt across her mouth, her eyes filled with tears. She glanced up at him.

  “What’s happening to me? Last night I could see in the dark. I ate your hamburger… and I liked it. The blood tasted sweet to me. I—”

  “I think I’d better get you to my place,” he interrupted. Rick helped her up and shoved a wad of napkins into her hand. “I left some money on the table for the bill and grabbed your keys. I’ll drive.”

  Although she seldom let anyone drive her vehicle, she nodded, allowing him to help her to the Jeep. She climbed into the passenger side and rested her head against the back of the seat. Rick jumped in and started the engine.

  “What about talking to the sheriff?” she asked weakly.

  “That will have to wait. I’m taking you to bed.” Her pulse leaped. Even though she felt ill, she smiled, recalling that she’d said the same thing to him the morning they met. The same morning she’d tracked a wolf into his cabin and caught him climbing from the shower. A vision of him, muscled body slick and shiny, dark hair dripping wet, blue eyes bright with fever, floated through her mind. “What?”

  She glanced at him. “I didn’t say anything.” A moment later, she realized she had responded. The noise she’d made sounded suspiciously like a growl.

  Chapter Nine

  Once at the cabin, Rick handed Stephanie a flannel shirt. “Change into this and climb into bed. Can I get you anything?”

  She placed her hands on her hips. “This is silly. I told you, I feel better now. This isn’t necessary.”

  He wouldn’t take any arguments from her. “Would you like me to help you undress?”

  A thoughtful pause followed. She sighed and snatched the shirt from him. “I should go back to my campsite and take a nap. I’m tired, that’s all. That’s why I became emotional earlier.”

  “You can nap here,” he insisted. “In a real bed.”

  They had a stare-down. Rick wasn’t giving in. Her recent behavior had upset him, but he didn’t want to frighten her when he wasn’t certain whether there was any real cause for concern.

  “You know I don’t like to be bullied,” she finally said.

  He touched her cheek gently. “I’m not bullying you. I’m concerned. You need rest, and I’m going to make sure you get it.”

  Her expression softened. “Okay. But only because you’re right in this case.”

  Rick smiled at her. “I’m always right.”

  She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. “Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.”

  Rick laughed and left the room. As soon as he closed the door, his smile faded. Stephanie was suffering all the symptoms he had suffered before he became a werewolf. Were all the things happening to her simply a coincidence? Could they all have a logical explanation? He didn’t think so.

  There weren’t many explanations for people suddenly developing keen night vision. For a vegetarian to suddenly develop a taste for raw meat. Or for a woman who might not normally give him the time of day to fight primitive instincts to mate with him whenever she got within sniffing distance.

  If he was responsible for changing Stephanie, changing her life forever, Rick didn’t think he could deal with the guilt. She was a young, vibrant, beautiful woman. He couldn’t stand to think of her as a monster. An animal like himself. A virtual recluse who had shut himself off from those he loved most. A man denied normal life in both worlds that claimed him.

  Rick ran a hand through his hair, angry with her for intruding upon his territory, angry with himself for allowing even minimum contact with humans. Because of his own selfishness, he had not ruled out the possibility that he might bite someone.

  “Rick?”

  Stephanie’s voice floated to him from behind the closed door. He walked over and eased it open. She’d slipped beneath the covers. The sight of her in his bed had the animal in him creeping to the surface. He fought it back and moved into the room.

  “Do you need anything? A glass of water or—”

  “No, I’m fine. I may borrow your shower again after I’ve rested, if that’s all right.”

  He nodded, trying to ignore the steamy image of her naked and soapy. “Would you like me to wash your… clothes?”

  She smiled. “Somehow, I never would have pictured you offering maid service. No.” She glanced toward her clothing draped over the old rocker. “They were clean this morning.”

  “Fine.” He needed to get away from her. That scent, the one that hovered just below the surface of her sweet natural fragrance, was about to drive him crazy. “I’ll let you get some sleep then.”

  “Rick?” She stopped him, patting a place on the bed next to her. “Can we talk for a minute?”

  He bit back a groan and walked to the bed. With more than a little trepidation, he sat beside her. “What’s on your mind?”

  She glanced up into his eyes. “I know you’re not a medical doctor, but what do you think could be wrong with me? Fatigue might be responsible for my not noticing that I was eating your meal earlier, but what about last night? My vision has always been good, but I could see in the dark. I mean really see. And there was something else.”

  Rick started to feel sick to his stomach. “Something else?”

  Despite her earlier claim of feeling better, tears filled her eyes. “I—I know this is going to sound crazy, but I thought I smelled that old woman. I had a sense that she was still close by, waiting for something to happen.”

  He squeezed his eyes closed for a moment, then opened them again, hoping she didn’t see the panic rising inside him. “You’re just tired. You need rest. We’ll talk more about it later, all right?” He eased her down on the bed. She didn’t argue.

  “All right. I am tired,” she mumbled, closing her eyes.

  He settled the covers around her and stared down at her beautiful face. His excuses for Stephanie’s increasingly strange behavior were wearing thin. He didn’t want to face facts. He’d obviously bitten her the night she saved his life. His curse had now become her own. He had to save her. Do something—find a way to spare her from the same hell his own life had become. He thought he knew how, but he wanted to be certain.

  He also thought he knew who could tell him the answer. After assuring himself that Stephanie slept soundly, he grabbed a jacket and left the cabin. He didn’t get far before the wolves joined him. They moved in single file, as if on a hunt. He had a keen sense of smell, just as Stephanie had developed. He followed the old woman’s trail easily. It led him to the abandoned shack on the road where he’d first spotted the old woman. He was surprised to see her sitting in front of the shack, as if she were waiting for him.

  “Have you come to kill me?” she asked calmly.

  A stab of guilt cut through him. Not long ago, his answer might have been different. “No. I’ve come to ask how to save her.”

  Her glassy eyes widened. She rose and walked toward him. “Today, I see more man than wolf in you. You have met a woman who has made you see the light. Understand that with love comes sacrifice.”

  “What do I have to do?” he demanded.

  She eyed him sadly. “You already know the answer.”

  He glanced away from her. “I thought so. I wanted to make certain
.”

  “Are you afraid?”

  Oddly enough, he wasn’t. “Only for her.”

  The touch of her leathery hand against his face startled him. “When I first saw you, I saw only the wolf hiding beneath your face. Now I look into your heart, into your soul, and I see they are both good.”

  Another fear plagued him. “Is there hope for my soul?”

  “If you do what must be done, you can save your soul. For your sacrifice, you can be reborn.”

  “What does that mean?” he asked, confused.

  She turned away from him. “Go home, wolf. Do what you must; then you will see.”

  “Who are you?”

  The old woman paused, glancing over one humped shoulder. “No one of importance. An old gypsy who makes my living telling fortunes at county fairs. A wanderer who, at times, runs across an unnatural such as yourself.”

  “Then you’ve seen others like me?”

  With a heavy sigh, she answered, “Yes. And some even more unnatural than you. I do what I can, and sometimes what I must to ease their suffering. But now I trust in you to see to your own fate, and to that of the woman you love. She has been your destiny from the beginning, and you hers.”

  Rick didn’t know if he believed in destiny, but then there was little he couldn’t believe in since he’d be-come a monster. He’d come to get verification of what he’d known he must do all along. He turned and walked away, feeling remarkably calm, almost at peace with himself. The answer was simple. All he had to do to save Stephanie was kill himself.

  • • •

  Darkness fell. Stephanie paced the small cabin. Where was Rick? She’d begun to worry about him—worry over the strange feelings the darkness brought with it of late. She felt restless, not quite herself beneath the skin. The walls were closing in on her. She needed to go out.

  Wearing only Rick’s oversized shirt, she walked outside. Stephanie drew in deep breaths of fresh air. She glanced up at the moon, surrounded by twinkling stars so close it seemed as if she might reach up and touch them. The moon wasn’t full, but it was bright, and again she marveled at how well she saw the surrounding area.